Shoreham Port attend educational conference

The conference, organised by the Standards Leaning and Effectiveness Service, was attended by over 70 head teachers and senior educational leaders, with the aim of exploring ideas for developing a relevant and inspiring primary curriculum.

The event included a range of interesting talks by experts working in the educational sector, including Keynote speaker Mary Myatt, Education Adviser and Writer. Members of the Port team Emily Kenneally, Patrick Ovens and Tony Parker were also on hand to talk teachers through the free Why Shipping Matters Resource Pack which includes lesson plans developed specifically for KS2 children as well as a film featuring Port staff playing historical maritime characters.

Why Shipping Matters has been carefully developed in consultation with teachers to ensure that it links to a variety of school subjects in the National Curriculum, with six 60 minute lessons that can be taught in sequence over one full school day or as one lesson per week across a term, with a further 4 lessons as an extension to the programme, culminating in an optional trip to one of the recommended locations. Pupils will have the opportunity to participate in activities and experiments which will teach them about imports and exports, how vessels float, different forms of navigation, life on board a ship and the unique maritime history of their local region or port.

The Shoreham Port team also discussed the many career options available in the maritime sector, including the drive for more diversity in the industry through the Women in Maritime Taskforce which is being spearheaded by Shoreham Port. Nicky Goldsbrough, Director of Corporate Services, was also a judge for the Diversity and Maritime 2050 categories for this week’s Maritime UK Awards.

Anne Radford, Consultant Headteacher commented “Shoreham Port were a welcome addition to our conference stands on Tuesday. Our aim for the day was to support leaders in reviewing their current curriculum and make them aware of the industries and organisations in their locality, who can support delivery, of a rich school context based curriculum.”

Radford continued “Today, the port showcased their free set of 6 pre-planned lessons and resources, a film and an opportunity for pupils to visit the port. We were delighted to share this rich learning location with our schools.”

Tony Parker, Director for Infrastructure and Climate Change commented “The world depends on trade and most goods travel from country to country by sea, especially goods to and from island nations like the UK. But not only do 95% of UK imports and exports pass through our ports, they are also the homes for other industries like fishing and our burgeoning offshore wind-powered green energy sector. So we believe that an understanding of how ports work and how they underpin the UK economy should be an important part of every child’s education.”

Emily Kenneally, Communications and Stakeholder Manager commented “The conference was a valuable opportunity for us to connect with teachers, gain their feedback and raise awareness around the benefits of educating young people on the huge impact ports and shipping have on the UK economy.”

Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/ports-terminals/23092019/shoreham-port-attend-educational-conference/